Reactor systems are generally known for cultivating and harvesting materials from a process fluid. Some examples of such materials include biomass such as mammalian, animal, plant, and insect cells, as well as various species of bacteria, algae, plankton, and protozoa. These methods and technologies may include open-air systems and closed systems. Algal biomasses, for example, are often cultured in open-air systems (e.g. ponds, lakes, raceway ponds, and the like) that are subject to contamination. These open-air systems are further limited by an inability to substantially control the various process parameters (e.g., temperature, incident light intensity, flow, pressure, nutrients, and the like) involved in cultivating algae.
Alternatively, algae or other material may be cultivated in closed reactor systems, sometimes alternatively referred to as bioreactors. Closed systems allow for better control of the process parameters but are typically more costly to set up and operate. In addition, conventional closed systems are limited in their ability to provide sufficient light to sustain dense populations of photosynthetic organisms cultivated within.
Biomasses have many beneficial and commercial uses including, for example, as pollution control agents, fertilizers, food supplements, cosmetic additives, pigment additives, and energy sources just to name a few. For example, algal biomasses are used in wastewater treatment facilities to capture fertilizers. Algal biomasses are also used to make biofuels.
Bioreactors used for growing photosynthetic organisms typically employ a constant intensity light source. A key factor for cultivating biomasses such as algae in bioreactors is provided in controlling the light necessary for the photosynthetic process. If the light intensity is too high or the exposure time to long, growth of the algae is inhibited. Moreover, as the density of the algae cells in the bioreactors increases, algae cells closer to the light source limit the ability of those algae cells that are further away from absorbing light. This factor has limited the size of conventional, closed bioreactors.
Commercial acceptance of bioreactors is dependent on a variety of factors such as cost to manufacture, cost to operate, reliability, durability, and scalability. Commercial acceptance of bioreactors is also dependent on their ability to increase biomass production, while decreasing biomass production costs. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide a bioreactor capable of operating at a commercial scale.